1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to detergent compositions.
2. Description of Related Art
Detergent compositions, particularly liquid laundry and/or dishwasher detergents, are generally formulated to contain one or more anionic surfactant materials, builder materials, electrolyte materials and other adjuvants dispersed or dissolved in an aqueous medium. They are generally formulated at an alkaline pH of above 7, e.g., 8-12, and generally contain buffer ingredients and/or builder materials which will maintain an alkaline pH in both the detergent composition if it is a liquid, and in the wash water to which the detergent composition is added.
The main reason for the development of basic pH is to insure that the anionic surfactant components, enzymes or other organic components present in the composition remain solubilized and dispersed in the wash water and that greasy or oily stains removed from soiled clothing are also dispersed in the wash water.
An example of a liquid detergent composition is found in U.S. Pat. No. 5,108,644 which discloses a liquid detergent concentrate comprising a mixture of nonionic polyalkoxy-lated anionic surfactants, a salting out electrolyte/builder and a water soluble, viscosity reducing polymer which may be a polyethylene glycol. The composition is formulated to have an alkaline pH of around 11, as shown in Table II.
In an attempt to provide effective cleaning for a wide variety of soils and stains, most premium commercial liquid laundry detergents are formulated to contain about 30%, by weight, or more of active ingredients, predominantly surfactants and builders, often including minor amounts of enzyme. At active ingredient levels below about 25%, and particularly below about 20%, commercial liquid laundry detergents are formulated to provide a less costly product to the consumer, while being generally less efficacious for cleaning the wide array of soils and stains which are capable of being laundered by the premium liquid detergents at normal dosage.
Accordingly, there remains a need in the detergent industry to provide a laundry detergent composition which can provide a highly effective cleaning performance at reduced levels of active ingredients but which is comparable to the performance of conventional heavy duty detergents having significantly higher levels of active ingredients.